Sanaa Lathan didn’t expect to make a sequel to
The Best Man, the 1999 ensemble film that helped establish her — and co-stars Morris
Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau — in
Hollywood.

“I was unaware anyone was ever talking about a sequel,” Lathan said. “I was just happy to have
done
The Best Man, happy that it was such a success.”

Then, several years ago, she crossed paths with Malcolm Lee, writer and director of
The Best Man — who asked her about the notion of doing a sequel.

“To be honest, inside I was like ‘Why? It’s so many years later,’” she acknowledged. “That’s
when it was probably 10 years later.

“But I said, ‘Well, write it, Malcolm.’ That’s always my reply to people who have ideas because,
for me, it’s always about the script.”

About a year later, Lathan said, Lee gathered the cast for dinner in Beverly Hills, Calif.

“Malcolm basically pitched us — beat by beat, moment by moment — the whole idea for
The Best Man Holiday. We were on the edges of our seats, and, by the end, we all said, ‘If
you write it, we’re on board.’ ”

A few delays later — Universal Studios agreed to move forward with the project only after a
table read with the entire cast — the group reunited for the romantic comedy, which will open
Friday in theaters nationwide.

Lathan again plays Robyn, now long married to author Harper (Diggs). During a Christmas holiday,
Robyn and Harper get together with all their old friends. They catch up on weddings and divorces,
chat about raising children and also contend with unrequited feelings and petty jealousies.

“Just like he did with the first film, Malcolm wove together a story that has the humor and
pathos and ... sex — all the stuff that worked so well the first time,” Lathan said.

The actress, 42, has worked steadily in films in the years since
The Best Man. She has also made her mark onstage — most notably in a 2004 Broadway revival
of
A Raisin in the Sun, with Sean Combs, Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad.

As her career has evolved, Lathan has portrayed an array of characters in a mix of genres:
drama, romance, comedy and action.

“I’m proud of a lot of the things I’ve accomplished, especially the stage work,” she said. “
Artistically, that’s probably the most satisfying.

“Do I want more? Yes. Do I want more challenges in film and television? Yes. My appetite is just
as big as it was when I first got into the business, yet there’s definitely a sense of peace and
satisfaction with what I’ve accomplished.”

Up next for Lathan is
Repentance, a horror movie “about karma,” as she puts it. The film also stars Forest
Whitaker.

If all goes according to plan thereafter, she’ll start production early next year on a
big-screen adaptation of the 1993 Omar Tyree novel
Flyy Girl —“a very big book in the African-American community,” she said.

And she isn’t ruling out the possibility that, in another 15 years, she’ll be back on set with
Lee and the rest of the
Best Man ensemble.

“We’d be in our 50s and fabulous,” she said. “It’s all about the script and where these
characters go.”